Notices of Federal Funding Opportunity
For: Applications to Volunteer NH for AmeriCorps State Grants FY 2018
AmeriCorps in NH
AmeriCorps provides support to nonprofits, faith-based and community organizations, and public agencies committed to meeting critical needs in education, disaster services, economic opportunity, healthy futures, veterans and military families and environmental stewardship. AmeriCorps is a federal program overseen by Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).The mission of CNCS is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.
AmeriCorps grants are awarded to eligible organizations (see Eligible Applicants section) proposing to engage AmeriCorps members in evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions to strengthen communities. An AmeriCorps member is an individual who engages in community service through an approved national service position. Members may receive a living allowance and other benefits while serving. Upon successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award from the National Service Trust that members can use to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans.
Volunteer NH is a nonprofit organization with a mission to promote the tradition of service in New Hampshire. Building on that strong volunteer spirit, we support and sponsor national service initiatives and provide training, recognition, and a central site for volunteers and volunteer programs to help them strengthen their communities. Volunteer NH administers AmeriCorps State Programs for New Hampshire and is the designated State Commission for CNCS.
Organizations that propose to operate in only one state must apply through the Governor-appointed State Commission (Volunteer NH). Volunteer NH administers its own selection process and submits the applications it selects to compete for funding directly to CNCS. Single-State applicants must contact Volunteer NH to learn about processes and deadlines which may be significantly earlier than the CNCS deadlines and may have additional requirements. A Single-State application from a State or Territory with a Commission that is submitted directly to CNCS by the applicant rather than the Commission will be considered noncompliant and will not be reviewed.
Applicants to the State Competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) must comply with CNCS 2018 NOFO, Application Instructions, and Performance Measure Instructions in addition to following the Volunteer NH timeline. Volunteer NH supports service categories which will serve as CNCS funding priority areas for the grant process. The areas and goals associated with each are as follows:
CNCS Focus Areas
In order to carry out Congress’ intent and to maximize the impact of investment in national service, CNCS has the following focus areas:
- Disaster Services
- Economic Opportunity
- Education
- Environmental Stewardship
- Healthy Futures
- Veterans and Military Families
2018 AmeriCorps Funding Priorities
CNCS seeks to prioritize the investment of national service resources in:
Disaster Services – improving community resiliency through disaster preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation
Economic Opportunity – increasing economic opportunities for communities, specifically opportunities for youth, both as the population served and as AmeriCorps members, to prepare them for the workforce
Education – improving student academic performance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics (STEM)
Healthy Futures – reducing and/or preventing prescription drug and opioid abuse
Veterans and Military Families – positively impacting the quality of life of veterans and improving military family strength
Governor and Mayor Initiatives
Rural intermediaries – organizations that demonstrate measureable impact and primarily serve communities with limited resources and organizational infrastructure
Safer communities – programs that focus on public safety, preventing and mitigating civil unrest, and/or partnerships between law enforcement and the community
Evidence Based Intervention Planning Grants
Encore Programs – programs that engage Americans age 55 and older
In order to receive priority consideration, applicants must demonstrate that the priority area is a significant part of the program focus and intended outcomes and must include a high quality program design. Responses that propose programs for the purpose of receiving priority consideration are not guaranteed funding.
National Performance Measures
CNCS expects organizations to use National Performance Measures as part of their comprehensive performance measurement strategy that relies on both performance and evaluation data to learn from their work as well as make tactical and strategic adjustments to achieve their goals. For more information, please refer to the Performance Measure Instructions located on the CNCS website.
All applications must include at least one aligned performance measure (output and outcome) that corresponds to the proposed primary intervention. This may be a National Performance Measure or an applicant-determined measure. Additional performance measures, including output-only National Performance Measures, may also be included if desired; however, all performance measures must be consistent with the program’s Theory of Change and represent significant program activities. CNCS does not expect applicants to select performance measures to correspond to each and every potential member activity or community impact. CNCS values the quality of performance measures over the quantity of performance measures.
As described in the Application Instructions, applicants must include all of the information about their proposed performances measure in the Performance Measure section of the applications in eGrants (CNCS’s web-based grants management system). All information requested in the National Performance Measure Instructions must be included in the text of the performance measures themselves, and it must be evident in the performance measure text that all definitions and requirements outlined in the National Performance Measures Instructions are met. Providing performance measures information elsewhere in the narrative cannot be in lieu of providing full information in the Performance Measures section of the application in eGrants.
Program Authority
CNCS’s legal authority to award these grants is found in the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended, (NCSA) (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.)
Federal Award Information
Estimated Available Funds
CNCS expects a highly competitive AmeriCorps FY 2018 grant competition. CNCS reserves the right to prioritize providing funding to existing awards over making new awards. The actual level of funding will be subject to the availability of annual appropriations. Grant awards have two components: operating funds and AmeriCorps member positions. Grant award amounts vary – both in the level of operating funds and in the type and amount of AmeriCorps member positions.
Award Period
Unless otherwise specified, the grant generally covers a three-year project period. In approving a multi-year project period, CNCS generally makes an initial award for the first year of operation. In most cases, the application is submitted with a one-year budget. Continuation funding is not guaranteed. Factors considered in awarding continuation grants include satisfactory performance, demonstrated capacity to manage the grant, compliance with grant requirements, agency priorities, and the availability of appropriated funds. CNCS reserves the right to adjust the amount of a grant or elect not to continue funding for subsequent years.
Project/Award Period
The project start date is generally one year with a start date proposed by the applicant. The project start date may not occur prior to the date CNCS awards the grant. AmeriCorps members may not enroll prior to the start date of the award. AmeriCorps members may not begin service prior to the beginning of the member enrollment period as designated in the grant award. A program may not certify any hours a member performs prior to the beginning of the member enrollment period.
Eligible Applicants
The following Non-Federal entities (as defined in 2 C.F.R. §200.69) who have DUNS numbers and are registered in System for Award Management (SAM) are eligible to apply:
Indian Tribes (2 C.F.R. §200.54)
Institutions of higher education (2 C. F.R. §200.54)
Local governments (2 C.F.R. §200.64)
Nonprofit organizations (2 C.F.R. §200.70)
States (2 C.F.R. §200.90)
Previously receiving funds from CNCS or another federal agency is not a prerequisite to apply to this Notice.
New Applicants
New applicants are eligible to apply for Cost Reimbursement and Education Award Program (EAP) grants but are not eligible to apply for Full Time Fixed Amount grants. Existing sub grantees/operating sites of Fixed Amount and Cost Reimbursement grantees that can demonstrate a successful history and current capacity to manage a Fixed Amount grant are considered to have AmeriCorps experience and therefore can apply for Fixed Amount grants. See Mandatory Supplemental Guidance on the CNCS website for more information.
Continuation Applicants
Organizations that have current AmeriCorps awards that do not end in FY18 must submit an application in order to be eligible to receive funding for the following year. Requests by existing continuation applicants for increases in the level of funding or number of positions will be assessed using the criteria under this Notice.
Operating Grants
Volunteer NH funds operating grants that support fully-developed plans to establish a New Hampshire AmeriCorps program or to support, expand, or replicate an existing program. Grant awards are renewed annually for a total of three years subject to annual review and availability of federal appropriations. Programs seeking funding beyond three years must reapply as a re-competing applicant.
Program Size
Applicants must apply for a minimum of 20 members. AmeriCorps programs should be large enough to make a significant difference in communities. Applications requesting fewer than 20 members will not be reviewed.
Statewide Member Training Conference
Programs need to include in the budget, under member training, $60 per member for attendance to the Annual Governor’s Conference on Volunteerism.
Program Staff Training Conference
Programs are expected to budget for sending appropriate staff to the one day National Service Program Staff Training Conference. The conference is held in Concord, NH the day before the Annual Governor’s Conference on Volunteerism.
Budget-Indirect Costs
Volunteer NH will elect to retain a share of the 5% of federal funds allocated to indirect costs available to programs. Volunteer NH will retain 2% from subrecipients, computed from each month’s periodic expense report (PER).
Type of Applicants
Single-State Applicants
Organizations that propose to operate in only one state must apply through the Governor-appointed State or Territory Commissions (Volunteer NH).
National Direct Applicants
Multi-state: Organizations that propose to operate AmeriCorps programs in more than one state or territory apply directly to CNCS. CNCS expects State Commissions and National Direct applicants to consult and coordinate activities at the local level, as specified in Section 131 of the NCSA (42 U.S.C. § 12583). This consultation is designed to ensure the most effective use of national service resources and lead to enhanced coordination. Please email andrea@volunteernh.org for a National Direct Consultation form.
Intent to Apply
Applicants are required to submit intent to apply to Volunteer NH for AmeriCorps funding, however continuations for existing programs are not required to. Include the following information in an email; the name of the applicant organization, address, contact person, e-mail address, and phone number. Applicants should state the type of grant for which they intend to apply and the focus area the anticipated application will address. Send to andrea@volunteernh.org by October 20, 2017. Failure to submit a Notice of Intent to Apply will render an applicant ineligible to apply.
Technical Assistance
Volunteer NH will host a technical assistance conference call and an AmeriCorps grant training meeting for new applicants and currently funded programs. The training is required for new applicants. Registration is required by email to emily@volunteernh.org no later than September 28, 2017 for the technical assistance call and October 4, 2017 for the training.
Resources
IMPORTANT:
To view the CNCS 2018 NOFO, Application Instructions, Mandatory Supplemental Guidance, Performance Measure Instructions and additional CNCS resources please go to: www.nationalservice.gov/build-your-capacity/grants/funding-opportunities/2018/americorps-state-and-national-grants-fy-2018
Volunteer NH Application Timeline
September 29, 2017 – Info & technical assistance conference call at 2 pm (registration required, email emily@volunteernh.org with your name, organization, phone number and email address by September 28, 2017)
October 20, 2017
- Intent to apply due by email to andrea@volunteernh.org, by 5 pm
- UPDATED: AmeriCorps training and technical assistance meeting required for all new applicants, 2-4 pm at Volunteer NH (registration required, email emily@volunteernh.org with your name, organization, phone number and email address)
November 1, 2017 – Continuation applications due in eGrants by 5 pm
November 20, 2017 – New and recompete applications due in eGrants to Volunteer NH by 5 pm
December 15, 2017 – Feedback delivered to applicants as denial or approval of the application for submission to competitive competition with or without clarifications
January 8, 2018 – Applicants final application due in eGrants by 5 pm
March-April 2018 – Clarification requests (if necessary) from CNCS
May 15, 2018 – Volunteer NH notified of grant awards
For more information, please contact Volunteer NH Programs Officer Andrea Johnston at andrea@volunteernh.org.